Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, where he spoke about the “sacred bond” between Israel and the United States, a bond that has been strained by actions attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Herzog called the United States “our greatest partner and friend,” but he had strong words for recent critics, including some members of Congress who have decried Israel’s recent military foray in the West Bank.
“I am not oblivious to criticism among friends, including some expressed by respected members of this House,” Herzog said. “I respect criticism, especially from friends, although one does not always have to accept it. But criticism of Israel must not cross the line into negation of the State of Israel’s right to exist.”
“Questioning the Jewish people’s right to self-determination, is not legitimate diplomacy, it is antisemitism. Vilifying and attacking Jews, whether in Israel, in the United States, or anywhere in the world is antisemitism,” Herzog added.
Herzog also warned that Israel sees Iran as an existential foe and vowed to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons.
“Iran is the only nation on the planet publicly calling, plotting, and developing means to annihilate another nation, a member of the family of nations, the State of Israel. … Israel is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon capabilities,” Herzog said.
Herzog balanced the adversarial relationship with Iran by recounting successful peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and the recent Abraham Accords with several other Arab nations, which was achieved during former President Donald Trump’s administration.
“[T]here is no question that the peace which the United States brokered between Israel and its neighbors, has revolutionized the Middle East,” he said.
Herzog’s visit to the United States comes as Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary as a nation-state. The office of the president in Israel is primarily ceremonial, as most power is vested with the prime minister. However, Netanyahu cuts a divisive figure for Congress over his policies, which some view as an impediment to making peace with the Palestinians.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) recently called Israel a “racist state,” a statement which she later apologized for and clarified that she meant that the government was made up of “extreme racists,” according to the Washington Examiner.
In response to Jayapal’s comments, a resolution reaffirming support for Israel and condemning antisemitism introduced by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) was passed 412-9-1, with Jayapal and some Democrats voting against it, per The Hill.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) praised Herzog as a “really great person” but expressed contempt for Netanyahu. “I wouldn’t feel the same way about the prime minister,” she said, according to the Washington Examiner.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and at least six Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Cori Bush (D-MO), skipped Herzog’s address altogether in protest, per Haaretz.
Netanyahu’s government has also come under severe criticism both at home and abroad for its plans to reform the judiciary to make it less powerful, eliciting street protests against what many left-wingers in the country see as a consolidation of power in the legislative branch which Netanyahu’s party presently controls.
Herzog recognized the domestic crisis in his speech and defended Israel’s government as democratically principled and interested in safeguarding the country’s courts:
“[I]t’s no secret that over the past few months, the Israeli people have engaged in a heated and painful debate. We have been immersed in voicing our differences and revisiting and renegotiating the balance of our institutional powers in the absence of a written constitution. In practice, the intense debate going on back home, even as we speak, is the clearest tribute to the fortitude of Israel’s democracy. Israel’s democracy has always been based on free and fair elections, on honoring the people’s choice, on safeguarding minority rights, on protection of human and civil liberties, and on a strong and independent judiciary.”
President Joe Biden was troubled by Netanyahu’s plans for the judiciary and cautioned against the move.
“This is obviously an area about which Israelis have strong views, including in an enduring protest movement that is demonstrating the vibrancy of Israel’s democracy, which must remain the core of our bilateral relationship,” Biden told The New York Times.
“Finding consensus on controversial areas of policy means taking the time you need. For significant changes, that’s essential. So my recommendation to Israeli leaders is not to rush. I believe the best outcome is to continue to seek the broadest possible consensus here,” he said.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has warned that the tensions with the U.S., which he blamed on Netanyahu’s government, had severely damaged Israel’s standing in relation to its biggest benefactor, reported The Times of Israel.
As a result, he noted disapprovingly, “The United States is no longer our closest ally.”